Victor Murtha, president of Boavista, published a message on the chess players’ official website this Sunday protesting against the adept card. A measure introduced this season requires fans to register in a database to access certain stands in stadiums.
“I am directly against the Adept Card from the first moment, even because of the way it was conceived and implemented. I stand and will always be on the side of law and order, and I will always be ready to contribute to the fierce struggle against violence, racism and xenophobia in society and in sports. But never in this way, through laws that will only serve to deter people from football, ”explains leader Boavista.
Read the entire message:
“The time for fans of free access to the football stadium is over. And it ended because someone remembered that people who intend to watch a football show – and only those – need to be cataloged, identified and isolated under the pretext of allegedly promoting safety, combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sports shows. Let me be clear: I personally and Boavista FC, as an institution with a long history, will always be at the forefront of the fight against any kind of violence in sports.
However, I cannot agree that this fight is carried out with obvious remnants of images that persist almost 50 years later, even among those who punched themselves in the chest and display a red carnation at some public events.
We all remember that not so long ago there was a massive hysteria in favor of data protection. We can say it is justified. Everyone, without exception, has the right to privacy. ALL. And we must all continue to fight for our rights.
Therefore, it is clear to me that no one should be required to register in a state database just to gain access to a specific area of a sports facility or to access the visiting areas of other club facilities. When exacerbated, this occurs only in show football.
I remember how in childhood I was fascinated when I entered the “Bessa” through my father’s hand and saw the checkered flags fluttering in the stands, including mine. Today my son is not allowed to enter the stadium under the same flag that has accompanied me for years.
Based on the Fan Card, there are several stadiums that can be closed for free access to any citizen who wants to go and watch a football match – if he does not register in the state database.
Because of all this, I oppose the Adept Card from the first moment, even because of the way it was conceived and implemented. I stand and will always be on the side of law and order, and I will always be ready to contribute to the fierce struggle against violence, racism and xenophobia in society and in sports. But never in this way, through laws that only deter people from football.
If all stakeholders worked together and consulted during this process, it would be easy to understand that this would still be more than enough to allow people to access football stadiums in certain areas of the respective club. But no. We made a choice in favor of bureaucracy. More bureaucracy, more obstacles and more difficulties for football fans.
With regard to this championship, which started on Friday, we are already confident that it will be much more difficult for a citizen to gain access to a football stadium in Portugal than to cross any border outside the Schengen area. “